One hundred fully vaccinated Washington state residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and a New York resident says she contracted the virus a month after receiving her second Moderna dose when she attended an indoor wake without a mask.
The Washington State Department of Health said they are investigating 102 cases of residents testing positive for COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated.
Officials say ‘breakthrough cases’ – as they refer to them – are expected with any vaccine but are rare.
The number of breakthrough cases in Washington represents just .01 percent of the state’s 1 million vaccinations.
The majority of those in the state with confirmed vaccine breakthrough experienced only mild symptoms, if any, officials said.
However, eight breakthrough cases have been hospitalized and officials are investigating potential vaccine breakthrough cases in which two people died since February 1. Both of those patients who died were older than 80 and had underlying health issues, officials said.
It is important to remember that every vaccine on the market right now prevents severe disease and death in most cases,’ said Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah. ‘People should still get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.’
It is not clear what vaccine those 102 people received.
Melanie Rosen, who works as a secretary at the Hewlett-Woodmere school district in Long Island, New York, told Pix11 she tested positive after receiving her second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
Rosen contracted the virus after attending the wake of her friend’s father.
She was inside her friend’s home for about 90 minutes without a mask with 10 of her friend’s relatives.
The friend’s family had come from various states and Rosen said she hugged each of them.
‘There was probably at least 10 family members there,’ Rosen said. ‘I hung out for about an hour and a half without wearing a mask. I hugged each one.’
It is important to remember that every vaccine on the market right now prevents severe disease and death in most cases,’ said Secretary of Health Umair A. Shah. ‘People should still get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.’
It is not clear what vaccine those 102 people received.
Melanie Rosen, who works as a secretary at the Hewlett-Woodmere school district in Long Island, New York, told Pix11 she tested positive after receiving her second dose of the Moderna vaccine.
Rosen contracted the virus after attending the wake of her friend’s father.
She was inside her friend’s home for about 90 minutes without a mask with 10 of her friend’s relatives.
The friend’s family had come from various states and Rosen said she hugged each of them.
‘There was probably at least 10 family members there,’ Rosen said. ‘I hung out for about an hour and a half without wearing a mask. I hugged each one.’
Shortly after the wake, Rosen said she developed COVID-19 symptoms, including a stuffy nose and aching muscles.
She got tested after being told that three of the family members had since tested positive.
‘I was shocked,’ Rosen said, of getting the vaccination and still getting COVID.
She said she only suffered a mild form of COVID-19 and believes the vaccine likely stopped her from becoming seriously ill.
Rosen said she had assumed she could resume normal activities and not wear a mask after being fully vaccinated.
‘You can still get it; you can probably still spread it,’ she said. ‘I want people to know it’s not over.’
The CDC has recommended that fully vaccinated people still take precautions in public places, like wearing a mask, staying six feet away from people and avoiding poorly ventilated spaces ‘until we know more,’ according to a statement last week.
The CDC has not released a total figure for the number of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated.
Vaccine trials showed that the three vaccines approved in the US – Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson – prevent between 66 and 95 percent of symptomatic infections.
It is still not known in granular detail how well the vaccines prevent people from catching or spreading the virus.
The majority of Americans who are breakthrough cases have experienced only mild symptoms, if any, officials have said.
Studies done so far have shown that while a certain number of vaccinated people still can become infected, the vaccines protect nearly completely against critical illness or death.
In recent weeks, a handful of breakthrough cases have been reported in a number of states, including Hawaii, Washington, Florida and Oregon.
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